architects and urban designers

Box Works Showflat

Location: Manchester UK

Programme: 2000 - 2001

Client: Urban Splash

Contract Value: £80 000

The residents of the Box Works were given the possibility to create their own environment inside a bare shell. For the show flat commission Arca took the opportunity to work with a limited palette of materials that had strong tactile qualities. The edge of the flat was lined with storage, with the interstitial zone housing bathroom, bedroom and study spaces. A sinuous polished plaster wall enclosed the oak floored living space, combining living and cooking with a monolithic island kitchen unit. With this womb-like inner zone of the flat, a further layer of separation was created with a distinct sense of shelter and retreat from the working day.